Cap or stopper for bottles or like containers



Oct. 18, 1938. F. SWANNELL CAP OR STOPPER FOR BOTTLES OR LIKE CONTAINERS Filed June 5, 1954 L L E N R w u K m R m 3 r Patented Oct. 18, 1938 PATENT OFFICE CAP OR STOPPER FOR BOTTLES OR LIKE CONTAINERS Frederick Swannell, London, England, assignor to The Viscose Development Company Limited, Kent, England, a British company Application June 5,1934, Serial No. 729,049 In Great Britain June 29, 1933 12 Claims.

This invention relates to caps or stoppers and bottles or other containers, the cap or stopper being provided, thread, with supplementary devices, which prevent the cap or stopper from being removed from the bottle without fracture, but which still enable the cap or stopper to function as a closure.

According to this invention the inside of the cap carries, in addition to the usual screw threads,

a projection which may be in the form of a spring pawl or pawls. This projection is adapted to co-operate with one or more grooves or ratchet teeth formed on or around the neck of the-bottle,

preferably immediately below the externally threaded portion of the neck. This arrangement could obviously be reversed, the spring being mounted on the bottle, and the groove or ratchet member being in or on the cap. The projections or ratchet teeth may either be moulded or stamped as an integral part of the container itself or may form part of an additional member in the form of a disc or collar surrounding the neck of the container.

With this arrangement when the cap is being screwed home the pawl rides over the ratchet teeth. If, however, an attempt is made to unscrew the cap the reverse rotation will cause the spring pawl or projection to engage the ratchet teeth with consequent fracture of a portion of the cap.

Whilst pilferage could be detected through the fracture of any portion of the cap, such fracture occurs in the supplementary skirt or depending portion of the cap,- so that the damaged state of this supplementary skirt will make it obvious that access to the interior of the container has previously been made available and so pilferage could be detected. The main portion of the cap remains intact and can therefore be used for reclosing the container after using a portion of the contents.

The lower edge of the cap is adapted to lie flush with a shoulder on the bottle, when the cap is screwed home, in such manner that a tool cannot be inserted beneath the lower part of the cap for the purpose of releasing the pawl, and thus removing the cap by unscrewing without any fracture of the cap occurring.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a cap for a bottle.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the neck of the bottle.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the cap being in position on the neck 56' of the bottle, and

in addition to the usual screw- Fig. 4 is a detailed view of a portion of a slightly modified form of cap.

In this drawing a represents a fluted and internally screw-threaded cap having a depending skirt a formed with two slits or saw-cuts b which define a readily frangible portion 0. The externally fluted surface of the relatively long cap body constitutes a grip. Insidethe skirt a is placed a steel spring d of band formation, one end d of this spring engaging in one of the slots 1), whilst the other end cl of the spring is inwardly bent.

The neck e of the bottle is formed at its upper end with a screw-thread ,f and also with two ratchet teeth 9 and g. If the cap be screwed 15 onto the neck e of the bottle in a clockwise manner, the end d of the spring will ride over the teeth g and g in the manner of a pawl and no damage will be done to the cap. If, however, the cap be unscrewed in an anti-clockwise manner the end 11 of the spring will jam against a tooth and the application of further pressure will cause fracture of the part c of the skirt a by the end d of the spring, owing to the tendency of the latter to force its way outwardly. 25

It is obvious that fracture of the cap would indicate that the cap had been unscrewed from the bottle but, owing to the fact that the threads on the cap remain intact, such damaged cap can be used again for temporary reclosure. 80

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, a convex protuberance h is formed at the back of one of the slots 12 to prevent the end (1' of the spring from being exposed.

Alternatively, the additional thickness shown 35 at it may be extended to cover both slots or may extend around the whole circumference of the neck.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means I know of carrying 40 the same into practical effect, I claim:-

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a collar adapted to removably fit on a container and having a frangible part and a pawl member between said collar and container and 45 substantially surrounding said container and adapted to lock the collar to said container and to automatically break said'frangible part while said collar is being removed.

2. In combination, an internally threaded con- 50 tainer closure of the cap type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure having an integral peripheral skirt portion below the thread constituting an externally visible readily breakable indicator, and a normally concealed device adapted to cooperate with the container and with the skirt portion of the closure and serving to break the latter when the closure is turned on the container in the direction to unscrew it.

3. In combination, an internally threaded container closure of the can type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure having a thin integral peripheral skirt portion positioned below the thread and. constituting an externally visible readily breakable indicator, and a normally concealed device adapted to cooperate with the container and with the skirt portion of the closure and serving to break the latter radially outward when the closure is turned on the container in the direction to unscrew it.

4. In combination, an internally threaded container closure of the cap type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure having an externally visible readily breakable indicator consisting of an integral peripheral skirt portion positioned below the thread and separated from the main threaded body of the closure by an annular zone of weakness, and a normally concealed device adapted to cooperate with the container and with the skirt portion of the closure at positions separated from the zone of weakness, the said device serving to break the skirt portion when the closure is turned on the container in the direction to unscrew it.

5. In combination, an externally threaded container having an annular bead below the thread, an internally threaded container closure of the cap type adapted to engage the external thread on the container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure having an externally visible readily breakable indicator consisting of an integral peripheral skirt portion below the thread extending downward into close proximity to the bead on the container, and a device adapted to cooperate with the container and with the skirt portion of the closure and serving to break the latter when the closure is turned on the container in the direction to unscrew it, the said device being above the bead and within the skirt so that access thereto is prevented.

6. In combination, an internally threaded container closure of the cap type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure having an integral peripheral skirt portion below the thread constituting an externally visible readily breakable indicator, a gasket carried by the closure and adapted to directly engage the container to close and seal the mouth thereof, and a normally concealed device adapted to cooperate with the container and with the skirt portion of the closure and serving to break the latter when the closure is turned on the container in the direction to unscrew it.

7. A container closure means comprising in combination, an internally threaded container closure of the cap type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure having an integral peripheral skirt portion below the thread constituting an externally visible readily breakable indicator, and a normally concealed device structurally separate from the container and adapted to be held against substantial movement relative thereto, the said device permitting iree rotative movement of the closure in the direction to unscrew it into its normal container closing position but being adapted to automatically engage and break the indicator skirt portion upon movement of the closure in the opposite unscrewing direction.

8. In combination, an internally threaded container closure of the cap type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening and having an integral peripheral skirt portion below the thread, the said skirt portion constituting an externally visible readily breakable indicator and having teeth formed thereon, and a device structurally separate from the container and adapted to be held against a substantial movement relative thereto, the said device permitting free rotative movement of the closure in the direction to screw it into its normal container closing position but being adapted to automatically engage and hold the teeth of the indicator skirt portion of the closure and thereby break the said portion upon movement of the closure in the opposite unscrewing direction.

9. In combination, a container and a cap type closure therefor adapted to be applied thereto and removed therefrom by a relative turning of the container and closure, said closure comprising a body of substantial length providing a grip portion enclosing the opening of the container and a frangible ring at the inner end of the body and comprising a readily breakable indicator and a pawl means substantially surrounding the container and enclosed by the indicator and cooperating therewith to cause breakage thereof on relative turning of the container and closure body in a direction to remove the latter from the former.

10. In combination, a container and a cap type closure therefor adapted to be applied thereto and removed therefrom by a relative turning of the container and closure, said closure comprising a. body of substantial length providing a grip portion enclosing the opening of the container and a frangible ring at the inner end of the body and comprising a readily breakable indicator, said body and indicator integral and connected only by a zone of weakness and pawl means substantially surrounding the container and enclosed by the indicator and cooperating therewith to cause breakage thereof on relative turning of the container and closure body in a direction to remove the latter from the former.

11. In combination, in a container closure means, a container closure of the cap type adapted to normally completely cover the opening in a container and having an integral peripheral skirt portion near the bottom constituting an externally visible readily breakable indicator, and a normally concealed device permitting free movement of the closure in the direction to bring it into its normal container closing position, the said device being connectible with the closure to move bodily therewith during movement thereof and the said device engaging the container to cause the breaking of the indicator skirt portion of the closure during the movement of the closure to remove the latter irom the container.

12. In combination, in a container closure means, an internally threaded container closure of the cap type adapted to engage an external thread on a container and to normally completely cover the container opening, the said closure havbeing connectible with the closure to move bodily ing an integral peripheral skirt portion below therewith and engaging the container to cause the the thread constituting an externally visible readibreaking of the indicator skirt portion of the ly breakable indicator, and a normally concealed closure during the movement of the latter in the device permitting free rotative movement of the unscrewing direction. 5 closure in the direction to screw it into its normal container closing position, the said device FREDERICK SWANNELL. 

